Big Ambitions: A Clever Makeover for a 680-Square-Foot West Village Apartment

West village apartment — a quick note to anchor this piece for readers.

West village apartment: Quick notes

When the owner of a New York City flat enlisted architect Evan Erlebacher, of Also Office, for renovation help, his request boiled down to a few key asks: “Reveal the original ceiling, create a living area that spanned two windows, include a dedicated workspace, and fit a dining table for six,” says Evan. “He also asked for additional closets—including storage for two bicycles—an enlarged kitchen, and a bathroom with a walk-in shower.” Oh, and fit it all into 680 square feet.

The small co-op apartment, located in West Village, had been part of a warehouse conversion completed in the 1980s. “When we first saw it, the apartment felt dark and compressed, with low ceilings and awkward moments—like a large step up into the bathroom,” recalls Evan. “We knew there was a vaulted ceiling hidden somewhere above the drop ceiling, which was an exciting prospect.” To reimagine the space for his client, a single professional in the startup world, Evan had all of the interior finishes (walls, floors and ceiling) removed and then rebuilt everything from scratch, relying on clever built-ins to squeeze in as much much storage as possible.

“Small spaces require much more scrutiny per square inch, and success can come down to a quarter inch. That level of precision made the project challenging, but also very satisfying,” he says.

Below, he walks us through the cleverly redesigned home.

Photography by Hanna Grankvist, styling by Malena Burman, courtesy of Also Office.

Above: “The apartment is organized around three freestanding millwork volumes in white oak that define the entry foyer, kitchen, dining, living, and sleeping areas. These volumes incorporate closets for clothing, deep storage, display shelves, desk space, and pocket doors, consolidating the necessities of daily life.” Above: “All interior finishes are new, including the white oak floors, custom white oak cabinetry, an expanded kitchen, and a renovated bathroom,” says Evan.

Above: “The apartment’s small footprint greatly influenced our approach [to furnishing]. We settled on a palette of natural materials that could create a warm, domestic backdrop for our client’s life. A small space can quickly feel overwhelmed by too many ideas, so we were careful to avoid that, selecting classic pieces like the PK4 chair and the Akari pendant.”

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Above: The oversized mirror at the entrance to the bedroom creates the allusion of space, while the reeded-glass sliding door offers privacy without sacrificing light.